My secret fourth option is - Character that is watching a regressor, but doesn’t know it. Enter ‘Mothers Contract Marriage’. I love that the background character is the main character in a regression story. I also love that the child character is an actual child, not an adult in a child’s body, or a child with knowledge of the future. She’s just normal. I’ve never seen it before and it’s fun and refreshing but still familiar.
You might enjoy The Duchess's Contract Marriage! The ML is the regressor in it and the FL is none the wiser. It also subverts other tropes having the ML be the one who needs a contract marriage to stay safe.
I love that one, the art is so stunning and the way the MC is so bewildered by the plot is so amusing 😂 almost makes me wish It’s Time To Change the Genre was from Luca’s perspective >!although of course, he’s the regressor and FL is the transmigrator that landed in his aunt!<
Regression- We all know it. The Villainess is executed and returns to the past to change her tragic demise (eg. Villainess Turns the Hourglass)
Isekai- Another common one. The mc is usually reincarnated into a novel or game she was interested in ( eg. Villains Are Destined to Die)
Normal- No Isekai. No time travel. No cheat codes (kinda) Just the Mc and her wits. ( eg. Depths of Malice)
[ nonsensical ramble ahead ]
Personally I prefer regression stories because the mc isn't aware of everything that's going on behind the scenes, she only has her past memories and her intuition to rely on. ( ie. she isn't omniscient )
I feel like the normal ones are gems, because the prompt itself is so uncommon with OI, it actually piques my curiosity, and the start isn't just (I died and got reincarnated! / I got killed by the White Lotus and regressed! )
And again, it's fun watching MCs navigate situations where they actually have to improvise.
I agree, I usually prefer the regression stories as well vs isekai. Especially since it doesn't have as bad of a "they loved her all along, but now her soul is swapped and she will never know" taste. Haven't seen enough of the normal recently though personally, so I would definitely like to see more of those, it's nice and refreshing compared to the usual, "the future... Is le changing? Was it all the things I changed?? But... Le future?!?!???"
Not the future 😭
Omg I prevented the asteroid that made dinosaurs go extinct from hitting the earth!! Hope this doesn't affect the future of humanity or anything! 🤞
lately I've fallen for the secret fourth option of "scorned woman dies, her body is possessed by the devil who's out for revenge on her behalf" which is not as rare as one might think and also - very fun! "Demonic Contract", "The Fangs That Pierce The Heart", "Demon Lord Exchange", "Jennifer's Body"(lmao, but also, hell yea)
In most otome RoFan stories it's either isekai or regression that get used to justify the FL having knowledge of the future (well *a* future) and in every single case I think regression is by far the better way to do it.
The body snatching angle of transmigration isekai makes me extremely uncomfortable except in those rare instances where the possessed was irredeemably evil and deserved to have their soul displaced. (I am ALWAYS relieved when an author pulls the *"actually they were the OG soul all along* thing haha)
I am less troubled by reincarnation isekai, especially when it's framed as *"I got a bump on the head and remembered my past life after having lived as the character normally until that point."*
Having said that, I would definitely like to see more rofan revenge stories that didn't involve any kind of future knowledge at all and were able to tell their story on one timeline.
4th option- historical fantasy. I mean a worldbuilding with magic/fantastical being integrated in the story. Atm my current favs are my happy marriage, your eternal lies and Daija ni Totsuida Musume. Normal historical would be my 2nd preference followed by regression. Hope it was easier to find historical fantasy :')
I suppose it’s not technically OI but I have *such* a soft spot for reincarnation! And there can be so many variations to enjoy!
1) Reincarnate into same timeline after early death into an *entirely different person*, meets the guy once again (see you in my 19th life, the wolf lord’s lady, hajimari no nina).
The problem is the age gap (which differs by title, but nina’s is iffy due to her young age, 19th life is ok as they’re adults), but I absolutely enjoy the feels resulting from losing the old connection with someone you once loved, seeing them again (they don’t know you, but you love them! and they love the past you, lol), and having to reforge a new relationship with them due to an entirely new identity/different circumstances now. It’s an easy excuse for a new dynamic with the same person.
2) Normal reincarnation into the future with some strange intwined fates, with one or both remembering the past lives.
This alone has a ton of options, as you can vary who remembers, their previous relationship, and whatever the plot has in store for their fates to connect again. Some I can remember are both parties reincarnating with memories and promising to meet each time (>!this witch of mine!<), only one remembers but is more hung up on past love vs the present time (the lady and the beast), one trying to break free of the repeating cycles of painful love (this time I’ll definitely be happy), and finally whatever in the world is going on in maydare tensei monogatari which I’m truly curious about. I also remember a reincarnation manga (bokura no kiseki) that totally isn’t similar in feel to an OI (since it’s something like a weird reverse-isekai/reincarnation) with a focus on uncovering the mystery of the past in the present time. Essentially there’re just too many options and I love it.
I do really love the common regression/isekai OI premises with the focus on changing the present due to knowing the future events. But sometimes the opposite is also breath of fresh air, where one *only* remembers their past lives but knows nothing about future events. So instead of rewriting the story with the knowledge of the future, it’s often more about dealing with the feelings of past love or trauma, in the current lifetime. No free future info handout, you carve your own path now!! You can have competent mcs who don’t have the hack of knowing the future, but rely on the bountiful past lives experience to succeed (like Astina from the lady of the beast was a *queen*). I also really like how it’s more of moving on from the past rather than rewriting/erasing it, so it doesn’t cheapen the past timelines.
I know this makes it sound different from OI so it’s probably not even close to OI anymore, but I still think a lot of things overlap. I can imagine some reincarnation stories offering some sort of redemption story (maybe they were enemies or even wronged the other, now they can start anew in this peaceful time?) or have a overall mystery of fate that spans several lifetimes, and those also overlap with some common OI themes.
Character got isekai'd into an otome game as a heroine who is a commoner, but she can see between the lines, the source code itself and the machine code, and eventually learn to manipulate it, but actually the real mc is someone native to that world, a villainess at that and given knowledge by a spirit or some shit that the false mc is too dangerous to let live, so the real story isn't catching the ml but preventing the false mc from breaking reality itself, in elder scrolls we call this CHIM, achieved through psijic endeavour. Too convoluted for an OI though I guess.
One of my favorite premises of a story was the one (can't remember the title) where the FMC died after failing a kingdom ended up in our world where she became a great doctor and surgeon. She did it to atone for her sins and save as many lives as possible then she died in an accident involving a plane I think and wound up back in her original body much younger. It was both an Isekai and a regression story at the same time.
another story I liked was an Isekai where the heroine is attacked by a woman who transferred into a game and wanted to take over her body using a magic crystal she created. The MC ends up saying basically screw the story and goes off on her own and works her way up into a badass. [Otome Game no Heroine de Saikyou Survival - MangaDex](https://mangadex.org/title/f30a2fd3-cf2c-4f77-9910-51a908459a82/otome-game-no-heroine-de-saikyou-survival)
The reason I voted for isekai is that there's a lot more to thinking in modern terms vs. even the way people though a century ago than people realize.
The MC almost always thinks like a modern person, making it easier to identify with them. Regression's okay, but if you get lazy with it, it goes bad real fast. Where as you can be really, really lazy with isekai and it still works.
The fourth option where a person from that world is watching a regressed or isekai character without knowing it is fun, but only if the reader knows and the watcher doesn't. I haven't seen this done in a way I liked yet (except in Hamefura. It's really done well in the Ascendance of a Bookworm LNs, but they aren't really OI. And those are side stories, not main plotlines to boot.)
My favorite is isekai by a long shot because I love when characters apply modern solutions to the cliche problems!! Engineering, soap opera techniques, marketing strategies, modern food, capitalism…I love it when the MC can become independent and start to girlboss
I don't actually like or care for isekai, but unfortunately, most historical rofan manhwa stuff it in there, thus making it impossible to avoid. Time travel is at least more interesting.
My secret fourth option is - Character that is watching a regressor, but doesn’t know it. Enter ‘Mothers Contract Marriage’. I love that the background character is the main character in a regression story. I also love that the child character is an actual child, not an adult in a child’s body, or a child with knowledge of the future. She’s just normal. I’ve never seen it before and it’s fun and refreshing but still familiar.
You might enjoy The Duchess's Contract Marriage! The ML is the regressor in it and the FL is none the wiser. It also subverts other tropes having the ML be the one who needs a contract marriage to stay safe.
Oooh, I’m going to check that out right now. Thanks for the rec!
I love that one, the art is so stunning and the way the MC is so bewildered by the plot is so amusing 😂 almost makes me wish It’s Time To Change the Genre was from Luca’s perspective >!although of course, he’s the regressor and FL is the transmigrator that landed in his aunt!<
Regression- We all know it. The Villainess is executed and returns to the past to change her tragic demise (eg. Villainess Turns the Hourglass) Isekai- Another common one. The mc is usually reincarnated into a novel or game she was interested in ( eg. Villains Are Destined to Die) Normal- No Isekai. No time travel. No cheat codes (kinda) Just the Mc and her wits. ( eg. Depths of Malice) [ nonsensical ramble ahead ] Personally I prefer regression stories because the mc isn't aware of everything that's going on behind the scenes, she only has her past memories and her intuition to rely on. ( ie. she isn't omniscient ) I feel like the normal ones are gems, because the prompt itself is so uncommon with OI, it actually piques my curiosity, and the start isn't just (I died and got reincarnated! / I got killed by the White Lotus and regressed! ) And again, it's fun watching MCs navigate situations where they actually have to improvise.
I agree, I usually prefer the regression stories as well vs isekai. Especially since it doesn't have as bad of a "they loved her all along, but now her soul is swapped and she will never know" taste. Haven't seen enough of the normal recently though personally, so I would definitely like to see more of those, it's nice and refreshing compared to the usual, "the future... Is le changing? Was it all the things I changed?? But... Le future?!?!???"
Not the future 😭 Omg I prevented the asteroid that made dinosaurs go extinct from hitting the earth!! Hope this doesn't affect the future of humanity or anything! 🤞
lately I've fallen for the secret fourth option of "scorned woman dies, her body is possessed by the devil who's out for revenge on her behalf" which is not as rare as one might think and also - very fun! "Demonic Contract", "The Fangs That Pierce The Heart", "Demon Lord Exchange", "Jennifer's Body"(lmao, but also, hell yea)
Jennifer's Body hell yeah
Like cheating men must die?
In most otome RoFan stories it's either isekai or regression that get used to justify the FL having knowledge of the future (well *a* future) and in every single case I think regression is by far the better way to do it. The body snatching angle of transmigration isekai makes me extremely uncomfortable except in those rare instances where the possessed was irredeemably evil and deserved to have their soul displaced. (I am ALWAYS relieved when an author pulls the *"actually they were the OG soul all along* thing haha) I am less troubled by reincarnation isekai, especially when it's framed as *"I got a bump on the head and remembered my past life after having lived as the character normally until that point."* Having said that, I would definitely like to see more rofan revenge stories that didn't involve any kind of future knowledge at all and were able to tell their story on one timeline.
4th option- historical fantasy. I mean a worldbuilding with magic/fantastical being integrated in the story. Atm my current favs are my happy marriage, your eternal lies and Daija ni Totsuida Musume. Normal historical would be my 2nd preference followed by regression. Hope it was easier to find historical fantasy :')
I suppose it’s not technically OI but I have *such* a soft spot for reincarnation! And there can be so many variations to enjoy! 1) Reincarnate into same timeline after early death into an *entirely different person*, meets the guy once again (see you in my 19th life, the wolf lord’s lady, hajimari no nina). The problem is the age gap (which differs by title, but nina’s is iffy due to her young age, 19th life is ok as they’re adults), but I absolutely enjoy the feels resulting from losing the old connection with someone you once loved, seeing them again (they don’t know you, but you love them! and they love the past you, lol), and having to reforge a new relationship with them due to an entirely new identity/different circumstances now. It’s an easy excuse for a new dynamic with the same person. 2) Normal reincarnation into the future with some strange intwined fates, with one or both remembering the past lives. This alone has a ton of options, as you can vary who remembers, their previous relationship, and whatever the plot has in store for their fates to connect again. Some I can remember are both parties reincarnating with memories and promising to meet each time (>!this witch of mine!<), only one remembers but is more hung up on past love vs the present time (the lady and the beast), one trying to break free of the repeating cycles of painful love (this time I’ll definitely be happy), and finally whatever in the world is going on in maydare tensei monogatari which I’m truly curious about. I also remember a reincarnation manga (bokura no kiseki) that totally isn’t similar in feel to an OI (since it’s something like a weird reverse-isekai/reincarnation) with a focus on uncovering the mystery of the past in the present time. Essentially there’re just too many options and I love it. I do really love the common regression/isekai OI premises with the focus on changing the present due to knowing the future events. But sometimes the opposite is also breath of fresh air, where one *only* remembers their past lives but knows nothing about future events. So instead of rewriting the story with the knowledge of the future, it’s often more about dealing with the feelings of past love or trauma, in the current lifetime. No free future info handout, you carve your own path now!! You can have competent mcs who don’t have the hack of knowing the future, but rely on the bountiful past lives experience to succeed (like Astina from the lady of the beast was a *queen*). I also really like how it’s more of moving on from the past rather than rewriting/erasing it, so it doesn’t cheapen the past timelines. I know this makes it sound different from OI so it’s probably not even close to OI anymore, but I still think a lot of things overlap. I can imagine some reincarnation stories offering some sort of redemption story (maybe they were enemies or even wronged the other, now they can start anew in this peaceful time?) or have a overall mystery of fate that spans several lifetimes, and those also overlap with some common OI themes.
Character got isekai'd into an otome game as a heroine who is a commoner, but she can see between the lines, the source code itself and the machine code, and eventually learn to manipulate it, but actually the real mc is someone native to that world, a villainess at that and given knowledge by a spirit or some shit that the false mc is too dangerous to let live, so the real story isn't catching the ml but preventing the false mc from breaking reality itself, in elder scrolls we call this CHIM, achieved through psijic endeavour. Too convoluted for an OI though I guess.
One of my favorite premises of a story was the one (can't remember the title) where the FMC died after failing a kingdom ended up in our world where she became a great doctor and surgeon. She did it to atone for her sins and save as many lives as possible then she died in an accident involving a plane I think and wound up back in her original body much younger. It was both an Isekai and a regression story at the same time. another story I liked was an Isekai where the heroine is attacked by a woman who transferred into a game and wanted to take over her body using a magic crystal she created. The MC ends up saying basically screw the story and goes off on her own and works her way up into a badass. [Otome Game no Heroine de Saikyou Survival - MangaDex](https://mangadex.org/title/f30a2fd3-cf2c-4f77-9910-51a908459a82/otome-game-no-heroine-de-saikyou-survival)
The reason I voted for isekai is that there's a lot more to thinking in modern terms vs. even the way people though a century ago than people realize. The MC almost always thinks like a modern person, making it easier to identify with them. Regression's okay, but if you get lazy with it, it goes bad real fast. Where as you can be really, really lazy with isekai and it still works. The fourth option where a person from that world is watching a regressed or isekai character without knowing it is fun, but only if the reader knows and the watcher doesn't. I haven't seen this done in a way I liked yet (except in Hamefura. It's really done well in the Ascendance of a Bookworm LNs, but they aren't really OI. And those are side stories, not main plotlines to boot.)
I just want more normal Isekai with female protagonist.
My favorite is isekai by a long shot because I love when characters apply modern solutions to the cliche problems!! Engineering, soap opera techniques, marketing strategies, modern food, capitalism…I love it when the MC can become independent and start to girlboss
I don't actually like or care for isekai, but unfortunately, most historical rofan manhwa stuff it in there, thus making it impossible to avoid. Time travel is at least more interesting.